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REGOIL CHECK FOR ORDNANGB. No. 424,947. PatentedAprhB, 1890.

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No. 424,947. Patented Apr. 8, 1890.

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SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,947, dated April8., 1890. Application tiled July 10, 1889. Serial No'. 316,999. (Nomodel.) Patented in England January 18, 1888, No. 818.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM ANDERSON, engineer, a subject of the Queenof Great Britain, residing at 3 Vhitehall Place, in the city ofiVestminster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Disappearing Mountings for Guns, (for which I have received LettersPatentin Great Britain, dated January 18, 1888, No. 818,) of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to gun-mountin gs in which the gun is carried onoscillating arms, as in what is known as the Moncriett system. Thesemountings I so construct that the supporting-arms have to pass somewhatbeyond the perpendicular to bring the gun into firing position, so thatthe gun at the first part of recoil has to rise a little before falling,which diminishes the strain on the holding down connection. Thehydraulic cylinder used for checking the recoil I place in front of thearms, and a cross-head attached to the arms I connect to the end of itspistonrod. Beneath the recoil-cylinder is carrieda storage cylinder orcylinders, in which rams slide that are held down by disk-springs. Apassage is formed from the front of the cylinder to a valve held down bya spring, and which opens toward the storage-cylinder. It can be openedby a hand-lever, but cannot be prevented from opening.

The action of the apparatus is as follows: Liquid is iilled into thecylinder and a certain initial pressure put on the springs when the gunis up. The gun is then ired, and in recoil the liquid is forced throughthe valve into the storage cylinder, storing up sufficient power toraise the gun for the next round, the excess being absorbed in frictionof the passages. The valve then closes automatically, retaining theliquid in the storage-cylinder, and the gun is reloaded. Vhen theloading is completed, the valve is opened and the pressure allowed toact on the piston and raise the gun to the firing position.

Figure 1 of the drawings hereunto annexed is a side elevation of agun-mounting constructed in the above manner. The gun is shown in itsliring position. Fig. 2 is a plan view with the gun in loading position;and Fig. 3, an end View with some parts cut away.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section through the recoil and storage cylinders, onthe line 4 4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5, a side elevation, partly in section, ofthese cylinders;- and Fig. (i is a longitudinal section of one of thestorage-cylinders. Fig. 7 is a diagram view, partly in section, show--ing the connection between the recoil-cylinder and the storage-cylinder,and showing the parts in iiring position. Fig. 8 is a similar viewshowing the parts as they appear 4after recoil.

A are the arms upon which the gun is mounted. B is the shaft upon whichthey turn, and which, as shown in Fig. 1, is in rear of the trunnions ofthe gun when the gun is in its firing position. The shaft B is carriedby a rectangular frame, consisting of the two parallel sides C C,connected together at one end by the cross-piece or pivot-plate D and atthe other by the cross-piece E, supported on rollers E.

F is the oscillating recoil-cylinder, in which slides a piston, whoserod passes through the rear cover and is connected to a cross-head Gr,attached to the arms or levers A. The

trunnions of the cylinder -F are received in bearings in the front endof the frame C, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

H II are two storage-cylinders Iixed beneath the cylinder F. H H arerams sliding in these cylinders and forced inward by springs I, as shownin Fig. 6. The cylinders at their front ends communicate one with theother by a passage h, and one of them is connected by a pipe .I with oneof the hollow trunnions of the cylinder F. The hollow trunnioncommunicates with a passage f in the side ofthe cylinder F, which leadsto the rear end of the cylinder with which it communicates at f. (SeeFig. 2.) Where the pipe J enters the storage-cylinder a throttlingarrangement is applied by which the recoil can be regulated. In thehollow trunnion is a valve K, held down by a spring against the end of apassage leading from the hollow trunnion to the front end of therecoil-cylinder. The end of the hollow trunnion is closed, as shown inFig. 4, and through its closed end passes a screw L, by turning whichthe valve can be drawn away from its seat.

M is a small tank above the recoil-cylinder IOO and containing liquidwhich passes into the recoil-cylinder in front of the piston when thepiston is drawn back by the recoil of the gun. After the gun hasrecoiled and the valve K has been opened to allow liquid to be forcedback from the storage-cylinders to the recoilcylinder the piston isforced forward toits former position into the cylinder, and the liquidwhich has passed into the cylinder from the tank is forced back into thetank through the small passages N. As the piston arrives at the end ofits stroke a portion of the piston passes over and covers these openingsone after the other, and so brings the gun to rest in a gradual manner.Similarly when the gun recoils it may be gradually brought to rest by aprojection from the pistou gradually obstructing the passage of liquidfrom the cyliuder to the spring-loaded valve, past which the liquid hasto be forced before it enters the storage-cylinders.

What I claim isl The combination,substantially as hereinbefore setforth, of the bed-frame, the gun, its trunnions, the vertical rockingarms pivoted at their lower ends to the bed-frame and at their upperends support-ing the gun-trunnions, the hydraulic recoil-cylinder, thetrunnions of the cylinder in the bed-frame, the storage-cylinderconnected to and rocking with the recoil-cylinder, a passage connectingthe storage-cylinder with the recoil-cylinder, a Valve in said passage,the spring-actuated ram in the storage-cylinder, the piston in therecoil-cylinder, and the piston-rod connected to the Vertical rockingarms at their lower ends in front of the pivotal connection with thebed-frame. Y

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of thebed-frame, the vertical pivot supporting its front end, rollerssupporting the rear end of the frame, the gun, the vertical rocking armspivoted at their lower ends to the frame and supporting the gun in theirupper ends, the recoil-cylinder, a pair of storage-cylinders rigidlysecured thereto, and a fluid-passage connecting them,a Valve interposedin said passage, a passage between the storage-cylinders,spring-actuated rams in the storage-cylinders, a piston Working in therecoil-cylinder, and a piston-rod connected to the lower end of therocking arms in front of their pivotal connection with the bed-frame.

3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the gun,the bed-frame, the rocking arms pivoted to the bed-frame and supportingthe gun at their upper ends, the recoil and storage cylinders rigidlyconnected together, the trunnions of the recoil-cylinder, connected withthe bed-frame, the spring-actuated ram in the storage-cylinder, thepiston Working in the recoil-cylinder, the piston-rod connected theretoand pivotally connected with the rocking arms, a passage leading fromthe storage-cylinder and connected with the recoil-cylinder through oneof its trunnions, and a valve interposed in this passage.

VILLIAM ANDERSON.

Vitnesses:

J. E. COMPTON BRACEBRIDGE, J. M. HAMILTON.

